Women empowerment fund hindered by absence of monitoring institution

The increased interests’ rates charged by commercial institutions have ended up hindering the success of the women empowerment fund that launched last year.

According to Margaret Kakande, the head of budget monitoring and accountability unit in the ministry of finance the Shs 53billion that was supposed to be disbursed to women groups in the different local governments hasn’t performed to their expectation since they failed to find an institution to help manage the fund.

This she said while Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE) launched the action learning project in Senegal and Uganda on gender response budgeting in Africa.

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In the financial 2015/2016 government released over Shs53 billion shilling to be geared into women groups with the aim of empowering them, about 20 districts were to benefit.

But reports coming from the ministry of finance indicate that the progress of the program hasn’t yet born fruits after failing to identify an institution to manage the funds.

Margaret Kakande adds that banks are the best institutions to manage fund since they even have capacity to offer business skills and training to women but then they failed to reach a mutual ground on the interest rates.

‘We can’t walk out and start giving out the money to women and mostly revolving funds, these women also need training before being given the money ‘said Margaret Kakande, the head budget monitoring and accountability unit ministry of finance.

Despite the fact that women empowerment funding is very key in the development of any country according to the Diakalia Sanogo the senior programs offers at the international development research centre, Canada, argues that there is need to empower women and children with skills to enable them demand for a gender responsive budget which favors their growth.

Most of the budgets made end up not addressing the needs of women and children

‘This project is going to be first rolled out in Uganda and Senegal since they are the two African countries that have tried to achieve a gender responsive budget’ Sanogo said.